Walmart Adds iPhone Scan-and-Checkout Feature to 12 More Markets

Walmart announced today that it is expanding a "scan and go" self-checkout initiative that uses Walmart's app for Apple devices, and plans to add Android devices as well.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it is
tripling the number of U.S. stores in a pilot program that lets
shoppers scan items with their iPhones and pay at self-checkout
counters.

Walmart's "Scan & Go" program will soon be in more than 200
stores, up from about 70. The pilot began near its home office
in Bentonville, Arkansas in late 2012, then expanded to Atlanta.

While the program is tripling in size, for now it will be in
only a small fraction of Walmart's more than 4,000 U.S. stores.

"We want our customer feedback to dictate the experience,"
Gibu Thomas, senior vice president of mobile and digital at
Walmart Global eCommerce, said this week. "You'll see this roll
out to more markets."

For now, "Scan & Go" only works on Apple Inc
devices. An Android version should be out soon, Walmart said.

With more than half of its shoppers using smartphones,
Walmart is trying to make shopping more convenient for shoppers
who embrace mobile technology. More than half of the customers
who have tried the "Scan & Go" feature have used it more than
once, Thomas said.

Shoppers scan bar codes on items they want to buy, using the
Walmart app on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to keep track of
the planned purchases and the total cost. Then they pay at a
self-checkout screen, bypassing the typical registers.

As it expands the pilot test of "Scan & Go," Walmart is also
adding self-checkout lanes to many more stores. Right now, about
1,500 stores have self-checkout lanes, and another 1,000 to
1,500 stores should get them this year, said Jeff McAllister,
senior vice president of Walmart U.S. Innovations.

Users can get an electronic receipt along with a paper one.
Walmart has hinted digital coupons may be coming soon.

Scan & Go users pay in the traditional way, not via apps on
their devices. The company declined to comment further on mobile
payment possibilities.

Last year, Wal-Mart and other retailers joined together to
develop Merchant Customer Exchange, a mobile payment network to
try to match similar services from Google Inc and eBay
Inc, among others. No details have emerged on the
project.